EPISODE 4: THE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGED 🌧️
1165 Words
The next morning, the sky looked unusually dull.
Dark clouds covered the sun, and cold wind swept through the university campus as students hurried from one lecture hall to another. Some complained about assignments. Others laughed loudly in groups.
But Favour Adeola barely noticed any of it.
Her mind was elsewhere.
Ever since that evening under the tree with Damilola, something inside her had refused to stay calm. She kept replaying every word he said.
"Maybe I just like being where you are."
It sounded simple.
But to her, it felt dangerous.
Because nobody had ever made her feel seen that way before.
As she entered the lecture hall, her eyes searched automatically for him.
And there he was.
Middle row.
Black hoodie.
Head bent slightly as he flipped through his notebook.
For a second, her heart relaxed without permission.
Then she quickly looked away.
Control yourself, she warned silently.
She took her seat two rows behind him.
But a few minutes later, Damilola turned slightly and noticed her.
Their eyes met briefly.
He smiled faintly.
And somehow that small smile ruined every attempt she had made to act normal.
The lecture dragged on endlessly.
Favour tried focusing, but nothing entered her head properly. Her mind wandered repeatedly toward him.
Occasionally, he would write something quickly.
Occasionally, he would rub his forehead tiredly.
And once…
He glanced back again.
That tiny moment alone made her stomach tighten.
This was getting bad.
Very bad.
After the lecture ended, students immediately flooded out of the hall.
Favour packed her books quickly, hoping to escape before overthinking herself into embarrassment.
But just as she stood—
“Favour.”
She froze.
His voice.
Calm as always.
She turned slowly.
Damilola stood beside her with one hand inside his pocket.
“You disappeared immediately after class yesterday,” he said.
“Oh,” she replied awkwardly. “I was tired.”
He studied her face carefully.
For some reason, that made her nervous.
“You’ve been avoiding me today.”
“I haven’t.”
“You have.”
The way he said it wasn’t accusing.
Just observant.
And somehow that made it worse.
Favour adjusted her bag nervously. “Maybe you’re imagining things.”
Damilola smiled slightly.
“I don’t think so.”
Her chest tightened again.
Why did he always sound so calm while she felt like her heartbeat was exposing every secret?
Outside, light rain began falling.
Students hurried across campus, searching for shelter.
Favour sighed softly.
“I forgot my umbrella.”
Damilola looked at the sky briefly.
Then back at her.
“Come on.”
Before she could ask where, he opened his umbrella slightly and motioned for her to stand beside him.
Her heart nearly betrayed her immediately.
“It’s fine,” she said quickly. “I’ll run.”
“You’ll get soaked.”
“I’ll survive.”
He looked at her for two seconds.
Then said quietly:
“You don’t always have to do everything alone.”
That sentence hit harder than it should have.
Because somehow, he always spoke directly to the parts of her she tried hiding.
Slowly, she stepped beside him under the umbrella.
Their shoulders brushed lightly.
And suddenly walking became difficult.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The rain fell softly around them as they walked through campus together.
Neither spoke for a while.
But the silence didn’t feel awkward.
It felt warm.
Safe.
Dangerously safe.
“You’re very quiet today,” Damilola finally said.
Favour swallowed slightly. “Maybe I’m thinking too much.”
“About?”
She almost answered honestly.
You.
Instead, she shrugged. “Life.”
He chuckled softly.
“That sounds serious.”
“It is serious.”
“What happened?”
She hesitated.
Then sighed softly.
“Nothing happened exactly… I just don’t like depending on people.”
Damilola looked ahead quietly.
“Why?”
Favour laughed weakly. “Because people leave.”
The moment the words escaped, she regretted them instantly.
She hadn’t meant to say that aloud.
But Damilola didn’t laugh.
Didn’t dismiss her.
Instead, he asked softly:
“Who left?”
The question caught her off guard.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Only the sound of rain filled the silence between them.
Then finally, she spoke quietly.
“My parents died when I was seventeen.”
Damilola’s expression changed immediately.
Not pity.
Just softness.
Favour kept her eyes ahead as she continued.
“It happened suddenly. After that… everything changed.”
Her voice weakened slightly.
“I’ve basically been surviving on my own ever since.”
The confession felt strange leaving her mouth.
She rarely talked about it.
Rarely allowed herself to remember it too deeply.
Because remembering hurt.
Damilola stayed quiet, allowing her speak at her own pace.
“I learned very quickly that nobody was coming to save me,” she said softly. “So I stopped expecting help from people.”
The rain fell harder for a moment.
And somehow, it matched the heaviness in her chest.
Then Damilola spoke carefully.
“That’s a lot for one person to carry alone.”
Favour forced a small smile.
“You get used to it.”
But he shook his head slightly.
“No,” he said quietly. “You just learn how to hide the weight better.”
That sentence nearly broke her.
Because nobody had ever understood her pain that accurately before.
Not Temi.
Not anyone.
Him.
Only him.
They finally stopped outside her hostel building.
Rain still fell softly around them.
For a moment, neither moved.
Neither seemed ready for the conversation to end.
Then Damilola spoke quietly.
“You don’t always have to survive everything alone, Favour.”
Her chest tightened painfully.
Why did his words always feel personal?
Why did he make loneliness sound visible?
She looked down briefly before whispering:
“I’m not used to people staying.”
Damilola’s expression softened deeply.
And for the first time since she met him…
He reached for her hand gently.
Not fully holding it.
Just enough to stop her from looking away.
Then he said softly:
“Maybe some people are meant to.”
Everything inside her froze.
The rain.
The noise.
The entire world.
Gone.
Only him remained.
Only that moment.
And suddenly, Favour realized something terrifying.
She was already falling for him.
Completely.
That night, sleep refused to come easily.
Favour lay on her bed staring at the ceiling while rain tapped softly against her window.
Her roommates chatted in the background, but their voices sounded distant.
Because her mind was somewhere else.
With him.
Again.
She replayed every second repeatedly.
The umbrella.
His voice.
The way he looked at her.
The way he touched her hand.
Her chest tightened.
Then finally, she covered her face with a pillow and groaned softly.
“This is bad.”
Very bad.
Because for the first time in years…
Someone was slowly breaking through every wall she built around herself.
And she didn’t know how to stop it anymore.
- Writer
